Two stage governor



Sept. 29, 1959 R. H. LONG ETAL 2,906,833

Two STAGE GOVERNOR Filed Dec. 9, 1957 M M gq L ecKou'r 0.0. 80L. 8w. 1'E? 1 I02 /04 r O-D.RL-AY IGJLQQE I05 I souncz KICKDOWN .E 60 NJ? Gov. sw.

MADE AT 30 MR H.

BROKEN AT 27 M.P. H.

62 Z"$m:: [313g 62 52 I WSTA E TRAVEL Z EL 26 56 Q I J EELZASED Fbs 2 372 A I II [I A 7 a I! 51 I n1; 2F :i:1- IIIIB A a! 1' ll 56 fiflzATTORNEY United States Patent ()fiice 2,906,833 Patented Sept. 29, 1959TWO STAGE GOVERNOR Richard H. Long and Edwin E. Prather, South Bend,Ind., assignors to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., acorporation of Delaware Application December 9, 1957, Serial No. 701,5232 Claims. Cl. 200-80) This invention relates in general to governors andmore particularly to a stage type of centrifugal governor which may beused as one of the controls in an automotive vehicle.

With the overdrive transmission of the day it is desirable to effect theoperation of this mechanism at a relatively low vehicle speed, say 30mph. It is also desirable, as is disclosed in our patent US. PatentOflice application S.N. 567,302 filed February 23, 1956, to temporarilycut said mechanism out of operation when the vehicle is traveling at arelatively high speed, say 60 mph. or above; for with the vehicletraveling at such a high speed the internal combustion engine thereof ispunished severely if a so-called kickdown, that is down shift, operationof the overdrive is effected at these high vehicle speeds. With such anoperation it would be necessary to speed up the engine to a point wherethe moving parts might be damaged.

It is accordingly an object of our invention to provide a centrifugaltype governor switch mechanism which may be included in a mechanism foroperating an overdrive mechanism, said governor being operable in twostages, first to cut the overdrive into operation at a relatively lowvehicle speed and then to out said overdrive out of opera tion at arelatively high vehicle speed.

A further object of our invention is to provide a simple, compact, andeasily serviced switch operating two-stage centrifugal governormechanism.

Other objects of the invention and desirable details of construction ofparts will become apparent from the following detailed description of anillustrative embodiment of the invention, taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings illustrating said embodiment, in which:

Figure 1 is an electrical schematic view disclosing the governor of ourinvention incorporated in a mechanism for controlling the overdrivetransmission mechanism of an automobile vehicle;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the two-stage governor of our invention;and

Figure 3 is a sectional View, taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2,disclosing the details of the governor of our invention.

There is schematically disclosed in Figure 1 a mechanism for operatingan overdrive transmission mechanism of an automatic vehicle saidoperating mechanism including a solenoid 12 the armature 16 of whichmoves down, when the solenoid is energized and with a release of theaccelerator of the vehicle, to operate the overdrive, not shown, toplace the same in its overdrive setting. Then when the solenoid isdeenergized the armature, after the driving torque of the internalcombustion engine of the vehicle is appreciably reduced, moves upwardlyto cut the overdrive out of operation.

The solenoid 12, having a coil 14, is controlled by a relay 98 having acoil 96 which controls a normally open switch 114 and a normally closedswitch 115. As is disclosed in Figure 1 the coil is 'wired in serieswith a grounded battery 100, the ignition switch 102 of the vehicle, anoverdrive lockout switch 104, a switch 116 of an accelerator operatedtwo-part kickdown switch mechanism 108, and two grounded switches and112 of the governor constituting our invention. A grounded overdriveswitch 24, opened by a spring 22 when the solenoid 12 is deenergized andclosed by a weaker spring 26 when said solenoid is energized, is wiredto the relay switch 115, an accelerator operated kickdown switch 116,and the ignition coil 118 of the ignition system of the vehicle.

No claim is made to the above described mechanism for operating theoverdrive inasmuch as the same is claimed in our aforementionedapplication S.N. 567,302 the instant application being a divisionthereof. The operation of said mechanism is described below incidentalto the description of the governor constituting our inven tion.

Describing now this two-stage governor and the switch mechanism 110, 112operated thereby the mounting for the same includes a plate 56 disclosedin Figures 2 and 3. Pin supporting end plates 58 are secured to theplate 56 and together with said plate form a centrifugal weightsupporting channel member. As is disclosed in Figure 3, the plate 56 isfixedly mounted on a drive shaft 60 which may be connected to thepropeller shaft of the vehicle or any other moving part thereof thespeed of which is directly proportional to the speed of the vehicle.Prism shaped centrifugal weights A, four in number, are pivotallymounted within the channel member 56, 58 on pins 62 which are mounted,at their ends, in the end plates 58; and as is disclosed in Figure 2,prism shaped centrifugal weights B, two in number, are pivotally mountedon the pins 62 and are positioned between the weights A. All of theweights are notched to receive a rectangular shaped plate 64 positionedwithin the channel member, said plate having fixedly secured thereto acylindrically shaped switch operating pin 66. This pin is hollowed outto receive a guide pin 68 mounted on the end of the drive shaft 60. Thefour weights A are provided with a bevel portion 70 outlining, with theplate 56, an angle of say 10; and the two weights B are beveled at 72 tooutline, with the plate 56, an angle of say 20.

Describing the operation of the governor mechanism 52, when the vehicleis traveling at say 30 mph. the six centrifugal weights A and B operatein unison to move the plate 64 and its pin 66 upwardly to theirfirst-stage travel a position which is indicated in dotted lines inFigure 3; and by this operation the pin 66 serves to actuate the switch110, Figure 1, to close the same. When the vehicle reaches a speed ofsay 60 mph. the two weights B are operative in unison to move the pin 66to its secondstage travel position disclosed in dotted lines in Figure3; and by this operation the pin 66 serves to actuate the switch 112 toclose the same. As will be observed from an inspection of Figure 3, thebeveled portion 70 of the weights A move into contact with the plate 56when the speed is 30 mph; accordingly, above this speed there is nofurther pin operating movement of the weights A. It is to be noted thatthe notch in the weights A is deeper than the notch in the weights Bthis being necessary to permit the continued movement of the pin 66 whenthe vehicle speed is increased above 30 mph. The switches 110 and 112are not disclosed in Figure 3 inasmuch as any suitable connection may beprovided between the pin 66 and said switches.

Describing the operation of the mechanism of Figure 1 the driver of thevehicle may effect an overdrive setting of the transmisison by speedingup the vehicle to 30 mph. to close the switch 110, and then releasingthe accelerator of the vehicle to reverse the engine torque. With thisoperation the relay coil 96 is energized it being noted that a switch106 of the kickdown switch mechanism,

wired in series with the battery, coil, and switches 102, 104 and 110,is closed when the acceleator is released. The energization of the coilresults in a closing of the switch, 1-14 with a resultant energizationof the solenoid 12;. and the latter operationrresul't'sin a movement ofthe armature-16 downwardly, Figure, 1', to place the transmission;init-s overdrive, setting. Should the driver of the vehicle then electto down shift the transmission when the vehicle is travelling under 60m.p.h.,' say to facilitate the climbing of a steep hill, he will depressthe accelerator sufficiently to open the switch 106 and close the switch116;'and' astudy of the electrical circuitry of Figure 1 will reveal.that this operation will d'eenergize the solenoid 1'2 and, momentarilyground the ignition coil the switch 24 remaining closed by the operationof the switch 26 untilthe reversal of torque makes it possible for theswitch 24 to be opened.

Itis, as stated above, undesirable to lower the gear ratio setting ofthe transmission, that is effect a kickdown operation thereof, when thevehicle is traveling at or above 60 m.p.h.; for to do so would, with themechanism of our inveniton, unduly increase the speed of the engine.Accordingly the safety switch 112 is incorporated in the mechanism ofour invention to make'such a down shift impossible; and the two stagegovernor of our invention provides a control which cooperates with theswitch 112 to this end,

There is thus provided, by the two-stage governor of our invention, adevice with a switch to control the overdrivetransmission controlmechanism of Figure 1 of the drawings; and this governor is also wellsuited to be incorporated in any speed responsive mechanism operable, attwo difierent speeds of a driving member, to initiate two differentoperations of the mechanism.

We claim:

1. Atwo-stage governor mechanism adapted to actuate two electricswitches, said mechanism including adriven 4 7 channel shaped supportmember having a rectangular shaped base portion and upwardly extendingend members, a plurality of prism shaped centrifugally operated weightmembers pivotally mounted on pins mounted in said end members, certainof said weight members being shaped to angularly move a certain amountwith an operation thereof and certain of said weight members beingshaped to angularly move another certain amount with an operationthereof, a weight member actuated rectangular plate positioned betweenthe weight members and having portions thereof nesting within portionsof said weight members, and a switchactuating thrust member secured tothe plate at its centralportion, saidthrust member being positionedbetween certain of the weight members whereby with an operation of theweight members said thrust member is bodily moved upwardly to, in twostages, actuate the switches to be operated.

2. A two-stage governor mechanism adapted to operate aplurality ofswitches, said mechanism including a channel member, a plurality of pinmembers mounted within the channel member, a drive shaft connected tosaid channel member, a plurality of centrifugally operated weightmembers pivotally mounted on said pin members each of said weightmembers being notched in their base portion and each, of said membersbeing beveled at their base to provide a portion contactible with aportion of the channel member, a weight member actuated rectangularplate positioned between, the weight members and having portions thereofnesting within the notched portions of said weight members, and a switchoperating thrust member slidably mounted on the end of the drivingmember to which the channel member is fitted.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

